Convicted Killer Seeks New Trial Over Altered Evidence
Mario Fernandez Saldana is asking for a new trial in the murder-for-hire case of Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan. Fernandez, who was found guilty of first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony, claims that prosecutors misled the jury and altered evidence during the trial.
Fernandez's defense argued that all the government's evidence was circumstantial, requiring jurors to draw unsupported inferences. Prosecutors, however, convinced the jury that Fernandez hired a tenant on his rental property, Henry Tenon, to murder Bridegan after dropping off their two children.
The motion for a new trial points out that prosecutors suggested that missing location data from Fernandez's phone was due to him turning it off, and that deleted text messages between Fernandez and Tenon were not actually deleted. However, the actual check admitted into evidence contained a handwritten memo notation 'kick starter good luck!!', which was altered during rebuttal closing arguments to read 'Killing Jared Bridegan'.
Fernandez faces life in prison when he is sentenced on October 5.